Xm vs pro

[xteam]

So.. Got a 10 summit Xp and was wondering is the xm much better? The reason I ask is I'm prob not gonna snow check a new xm but would maybe look at a used 13 xm. One of my buddies went from a rev to a Xp to a pro and he said he likes the pro and my other buddy went from a xp as well to a pro and same response. Do I fallow suit? Lookin for responses

 

[RockSmasher]

 

[Sask Sledder]

Lot of guys did that until the XM came out.

 

[xteam]

I guess what I'm asking is there any guys out there that went Xp to pro to xm and their thoughts are they thinking of going pro again

 

[summit1974]

XM.....

 

[MoThEr TrUcKeR]

Xm!!!!

 

[d mills]

Can side hill my FR like nothing.... Choose your sled depending on your skill level

 

[powder junkie]

Dangerous thread! Try ridn both, go with wat u like. Both gonna go same place and do same thing. Comes down to riding style u like better. Theres enuff threads on here comparing the two sleds.

 

[treemongrol]

Had an XP blew it up ended up renting a Pro for a day like the sled was going to buy one until a group I ride with occassionaly who are diehard Polaris riders had been out and they had all rode the xm and they were all raving bout it so being that I have been drinking doolaid for over 15 plus years as pissed off at doo as i was with their unreliable motor in the xp I went and bought a xm, much prefer it over the pro, that being said the pro was a rental and i never set it up for me rode it the way it would come off the show room floor.

 

[Sask Sledder]

I got Poo-riding friends that rode my Xm once now refuse to try it again cause they are "scared to like it again"

 

[Barry Barton]

I drive a 2001 cat and i'm happy but the pro still has a ? on the engine where the doo has a real good record so if I was changing I would go for the doo.

 

[snopro]

Took 2 diehard Pro riders on our Kuster ride. Both said they loved the sled and ran them out of fuel. Quoting for one of the guys for a spring check.

 

[RevyG]

I drive a 2001 cat and i'm happy but the pro still has a ? on the engine where the doo has a real good record so if I was changing I would go for the doo.

Time will tell on that..they all break. Some guys get a good one, and some seem to get one built on payday Friday, read the net, same for most things. One guys buys one, POS from the get go, next guy, does nothing and runs for ever? To many factors. Again, for me it is dealer, just like stuff, some are great, go to bat for you, give you a loner, some just want your hard earned $$$$. I think they ALL need to work on reliability. Man I love sledding, I ride with them all and have a blast! Buy what you want.

 

[takethebounce]

Is the XM better than your XP? Of course. It is much better. The etec is better than your carb motor, the handling with the s-36 and t-motion along with other refinements and so on.

You are posting in a Doo (XM) section so I would expected the replies to weigh heavier towards the XM.

That being said, I am on a XP. Rode a few XM's last winter, and said it was the best sled I ever rode. Effortless. I also rode with lots of Polaris guys last winter. I even took a Polaris for an entire week trip and could not get used to it (2011 Pro) hated it actually. I am much more compfortable on a Doo product. I am used to the XP/XM steering and feel at home on it. This winter someone I ride with went from a XP to a Pro. He had been on Doo for a number of years and I could see his riding ability improve on the Pro. I was curious and spent as much time on a Pro when the chance was there to do so. Overall the Pro (2013) felt better than the 2011 I had for a week. I could put the Pro into situations and feel confident the sled would make it through it. I still felt the steering and handling of the sled to be akward as I am used to the Doo but the Pro required less effort.

Some of the result of the choice you make is going to come down to what you want the sled to do. A XM is easy to ride, especially if you are coming of a XP. It is a natural transition. The obvious fit and finish of the XM, the etec motor is very clean burning and efficient, the warranty for 2014 is excellent, who would have thought there would be 4 year warrantys on sleds! Out of the crate there is nothing that needs to be done to a XM to ride it all season. On the trail the XM with the t-motion seems to make it even better for absorbing a whooped out trail.

The Pro I find is the better sled when on edge and in the more technical areas. Sure someone will argue that the XM is just as good in technical situations as the Pro, but the XM's design can sometimes lead to some shortcomings. The Pro's suspension and skid are rigid, it helps it perform in these situations. If steep technical terrain is something you like to ride, then it might be something to consider.

People say there are question marks on Polaris's 800. I have my doubts about the etec as time goes along as well. The etec with its isoflex sealed crank bearings make me nervous. The Polaris atleast sends oil to its bottom end. The etec is very efficient but fuel no longer passes over the reeds and they chip and flake. They need to be replaced yearly for best performance. I haven't heard the Polaris reeds being an issue. There is also the clutching. The TRA in the Doo should easily have a rebuild of all replacement items yearly. Yeah it can be considered normal wear and tear, the replacement items are not to costly to replace but somepeople are not mechanical inclined and will have to have a shop do this. The Polaris clutches are more efficient, don't heat up as much but, they do not have the TRA clickers. Honestly, for me, I never touch my clickers as long as I am pulling peak RPM when I need it. The Polaris clutch works just as good without clickers.

If your friends have Pro's, why not spend some time on one? I had an unfortunate early end to my season and I had lined up some more time on a XM so I could directly compare it to the new Pro. At the end of the day you should get the sled that best suits you, not what your buddies say, or what the general response on a forum says.

 

[Sask Sledder]

Excellent post! XM turned me, a complete carving-novice coming off an '01 stretched mxz, to someone that other novices and trail-sled owners look at and say ooooooh!. Its not me, its the ease of use of the machine.

One point. The etec DOES put oil to the crank. That and the valves.

 

[takethebounce]

I didn't say the etec doesn't put oil to the crank. I said the sealed bearings make me nervous. I haven't ever pulled a Polaris 800 cleanfire apart to see where exactly the oil goes, but have been told it goes to the bearings.

 

[Newmanater90]

I jumped from a rev to a m1100 then back to do with an xm. The Xm is by far the greatest sled i ever rode. My cousin blew up his 2009 xp few weeks ago in Revy so he rented a 2013 Pro and we all took turns on it. I will not lie it was a great sled but still no Xm. The only positive i found over the xm was the suspension. It seems to be built for the snocross track which is my favorite. You can bang it down the trail at wide open throttle while the Xm rear suspension is soft and bounces you all over. This is only at Wide open. Downsides to the pro in my own opinion was its narrow running boards and small toe stirrups and snow build up on the gunpowder coated tunnel. This last weekend alone i seen 3 2013 pros being towed down Renshaw, with one motor blown and one jackshaft and not sure about the third.

So.. Got a 10 summit Xp and was wondering is the xm much better? The reason I ask is I'm prob not gonna snow check a new xm but would maybe look at a used 13 xm. One of my buddies went from a rev to a Xp to a pro and he said he likes the pro and my other buddy went from a xp as well to a pro and same response. Do I fallow suit? Lookin for responses

 

[fredw]

had some pros with us on the weekend... Houston at precision rv in the hat... that being said for his weight and riding ability, he makes the pro look dam good, took it to spots the guys on xms had much more difficulty getting there, and power wise there was not much difference at all, but he is light and aggressive, now not sure if his motor is stock, but it was the best running pro I had seen yet... xms are a great sled for a lighter rider as well with the tmotion, but they are still heavy overall...

 

[LennyR]

I've ridden both quite a bit this year, I really like both of them, but the thing with the XM I don't get is the whole initial flop, lean, compress to whichever side you step on especially on hard ground. Sort of gives you the feeling when riding that it's making it easier to initiate a turn than the old XP, and it is but not with as much control or balance as the Pro, cause you have to take into account your body weight, plus the t motion thing plus the bendy track, each of these factors have to be in sync and each are receiving different input from the snow. The Pro, you have to account for body weight and snow conditions, just less issues to deal with while carving or sidehilling. To me the whole gimmicky suspension thing is still a bandaid for a suspension not really made for mountain riding, but they've messed around with it to make it acceptable. Plus most of the real Doo guys were pretty easy to please, anything would have been a big improvement over the XP .
Sort of like the old guy and the young guy, Young guy really hard , old guy nit so much anymore. Both of their lady friends will end up satisfied, but the old floppy kinda fella, he just has to come up with some ingenious ways to compensate for his deficiencies so that everyone involved enjoys the experience. The young fella, it just flat out works with no compensators needed.

 

[mareshow]

Buddy I was riding with this weekend took my sled for a rip and it sounds like he'll be snow checking a new XM this year... The ride says it all. He said it feels like the sled wants to get up on top of the snow more than the pro (what he rides right now). He also said that he was impressed with the traction you get with the stock track. He also said that it feels like you are more on top of the sled than behind it with the pro. Something i can agree with because everytime i take a pro for a rip it feels like i'm pushing a motor around just simply due to the geometry. But it really comes down to personal preference. Ride both and buy which one feels right. Not what some guy tells you to buy on the internet.